In recent years, endoscopes have been widely used in the medical field and industrial field. Recently, endoscope apparatuses have displayed captured endoscope images on a monitor by using an endoscope with an external television camera. Other apparatuses, such as an external television camera having a television camera comprising imaging means in the optical endoscope eyepiece or an electrical endoscope comprising imaging means at the distal end, have been widely used.
Conventionally, a number of similar endoscope apparatuses having a technology that can record and reproduce endoscope images captured using the endoscope in a removable storage medium have been proposed.
For example, the endoscope information recording system described in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 6-96170 discloses a technology for recording image information read by image reading means and voice information read by voice reading means in a card type storage medium.
The endoscope system described in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-89792 comprises an image signal processing apparatus for processing an imaging signal from an endoscope. It further discloses a technology in which, when at least card detecting means detects loading of a PC card in the PC card slot of a PC card as a storage medium by using image signal output control means provided in the image signal processing apparatus, recording on the PC card is performed by outputting the image signal sent from signal processing means for performing signal processing on the imaging signal to memory control means for storing a freeze image of an endoscope images in memory on the PC card.
In addition, the endoscope apparatus described in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-32983 comprises a plurality of adjustment means for adjusting image signal characteristics of signal processing means and a memory card which is external storage means for storing adjustment value(s) of the adjustment means, and the document discloses a technology for changing operation settings of the adjustment means on the basis of the adjustment value stored on the memory card by the control means.
In recent years, it has been desirable that this type of endoscope apparatus selects a plurality of desired images from a set of recorded images on a storage medium and display or print out the images as a single image. This allows for an effective analyses and diagnoses of a set of images that have been recorded on a storage medium such as a PC card or a memory card.
However, in the conventional technology, a problem occurs when reading out and reproducing the image recorded on a storage medium such as a PC card or a memory card. The problem is that only a list display, such as a thumbnail display or a full-screen display, is possible and the conventional technology cannot select a plurality of desired images from a set of images recorded on a storage medium and displayed or printed out as a single image.
Additionally, in order to effectively conduct analyses and diagnoses, it is desirable to add additional information such as an explanatory remark (hereinafter referred to as an annotation) to the selected images in addition to patient information. The conventional technology does not allow annotations to be added.
The present invention was made in consideration of the above circumstances. An object of the present invention is to provide an endoscope apparatus which can select a plurality of images from a set of images stored on a storage medium and can display or record the images as a signal image with annotations.
Patent Document 1:
    Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 6-96170Patent Document 2:    Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-89792Patent Document 3:    Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-32983